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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931366">muddled (aka a confused mess)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_I_lost_my_marbles/pseuds/oops_I_lost_my_marbles'>oops_I_lost_my_marbles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akuma Attack, Akumatized Alya Césaire, Fluff, I am cursed with terribly vivid dreams, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, One-Shot, POV Third Person, Secret Identity, Secrets, Swearing, adrien needs proof, marinette confesses her secret, master fu is the only one with brain cells, once again this is based on a dream, poor nino is just confused</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_I_lost_my_marbles/pseuds/oops_I_lost_my_marbles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alya, fed up with Marinette not being able to tell Adrien how she feels, has a grand plan. Step one: get akumatized with the power to compel those around her to tell the truth. Step two: hold Marinette hostage and get Adrien to rescue her. Step three: reveal that Marinette has a crush on Adrien. Chaos ensues when she discovers that Marinette has been hiding something much bigger than her crush on Adrien…</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>150</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>muddled (aka a confused mess)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi. Here we are again. I still don't know what to say...</p>
<p>Anyway, I wrote this instead of my 8 page paper due tomorrow. This being said, I hope you enjoy!</p>
<p>(extra special big kudos to my betas--gianna and kat--because you fixed such a big plot hole that otherwise would've been a MESS. I love you. thank you so so much again)</p>
<p>Enjoy! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Alya sat in the corner, filing her nails. “How long does it take for that boy to get across Paris? He has several private jets at his disposal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette shrugged, eyeing Alya with fear, or perhaps anger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought that he’d be here in a heartbeat after getting the ransom note.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette refused to say anything. She was still trying to process the current situation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya, who was apparently </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Marinette’s shenanigans, had gotten herself akumatized with the sole purpose of getting Marinette to confess to Adrien. It didn’t matter that Marinette had finally gotten used to being around him and didn’t stutter anymore, or that she considered him a very good friend now. No, Alya was dead-set on getting them together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Marinette was about to find out the hard way how stubborn her friend really was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya looked up at Marinette. “What? You don’t have anything to say? I thought you’d be more excited.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re making a huge mistake,” Marinette finally muttered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya snorted. “Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In reality, Alya didn’t have a clue what she was getting herself into. She only knew that she had gotten herself akumatized with the new power of revealing people’s secrets and that she left a threatening (and a little bit funny) ransom video with Adrien. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya thought her plan was perfect. Nothing could go wrong.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She never considered the fact that Marinette’s deepest secret wasn’t her crush on Adrien. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Adrien finally got out of the shower, he dried off without a care in the world. He had a good feeling about the day. After hearing Plagg’s cackling laughter from in his room, he decided that he would ignore it and turned his music up instead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he was finally dressed and clean, he hummed as he stepped into his room. What he saw caused his jaw to drop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Plagg?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The kwami suddenly quieted his continuous laughter and looked up at the boy, solemn. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell are you doing?” Adrien gestured around the room at the popcorn everywhere.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg giggled a little and shoved a kernel of popcorn into his mouth. “Someone dropped off a tape while you were in the shower and I popped it in the TV. It’s hilarious. I needed popcorn.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien shook his head. “This is going to take forever to clean up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kid, I’ll clean it myself. But first, come watch this video.” Plagg smirked at him. “It has Marinette in it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Adrien’s interest piqued and he walked over to the TV. Plagg pressed play, snickering to himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey Adrien,” Marinette started. “It’s me, Marinette.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why the hell is she tied to a chair?” Adrien gasped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg turned the volume up in response.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re probably wondering what all this is about.” Marinette sighed. “Well… Alya got akumatized and-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The video cut out for a second. Adrien looked at Plagg in confusion. “Don’t you think this is a little concerning?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You run around Paris in a tight leather catsuit, boy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>a little concerning.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien frowned and continued watching. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I am currently being held hostage by Alya-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It cut out again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“-hostage by my best friend-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“-hostage by a stranger.” Marinette looked increasingly annoyed. “Anyway, it would be nice if you could come visit me.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette rattled off an address and Adrien became more alarmed. “What is this, a prank? They’re all the way across Paris. This can’t be real.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg barely held back his grin. “Just wait. It gets better.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien sobered as Alya’s voice came onto the video.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You better be here in thirty minutes or else I’m dropping Marinette out of this window. Have I mentioned we’re on the third floor?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jesus, Alya, not even the Eiffel Tower? Come on, drop me off there. That’s what all the other akumas do.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The video cut to black right after Alya pushed over Marinette’s chair and the bluenette grunted in pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg burst into another fit of giggles. “A cinematic masterpiece. Better than </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cats.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien mentally processed the video. “Hold on, how long ago was that taken? How much longer do we have?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg snorted. “Ah, you have like three minutes left.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Adrien yelled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I wasn’t going to interrupt your shower. I’d like to leave certain things left unseen in our relationship.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien went into a frenzy. “We have to go. How am I going to get there in time? Is she ok?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, kid. It’s obviously fake-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was interrupted by Adrien muttering “claws out” and leaping out of his window.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette was getting bored. She didn’t want to talk to Alya, but she couldn’t exactly pull out Tikki and whisper to her. She didn’t know what to do. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Even worse, after Alya had thrown her chair onto the floor, she landed on her face and now her nose was bleeding. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s got two minutes left.” Alya sighed and looked at her watch. “Where is that boy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette said nothing and watched as Hawkmoth’s signature purple mask covered her friend’s face. What was she going to do? What options did she have?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tell Adrien and Alya (and more importantly, Hawkmoth himself) she was Ladybug? Try to fight Alya’s power and reveal her crush on Adrien?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had to think of something. Fast. She was all alone this time, though. She didn’t have her lucky charm. “Can I at least have some food or something? You kidnapped me before I could eat lunch,” she blurted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya frowned in her direction, but she didn’t respond.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, something thunked into the window Marinette looked over to see a flash of black. “Was that a bird?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya snorted. “The biggest bird I’ve ever seen.” She checked her watch. “One minute left.” Marinette went back to her panicking when she heard knocking on the window. Looking over, she saw Chat Noir perched on the window sill. Alya shouted, “What do you want?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat gestured to open the window. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She begrudgingly obliged. “Why are you here? There’s nothing wrong, Chat Noir. Nothing to worry about.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, don’t mind me tied to a chair,” Marinette chirped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya glared at her again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s actually why I’m here,” Chat Noir said, eyeing Marinette. The girl guessed that her nose looked worse than she expected by the look of concern evident on his face. “A citizen who would like to remain anonymous received a ransom note from you and called me to check on it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You have Adrien’s number? Lucky.” Marinette muttered. Then she blushed. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous. Can you get me out of here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat Noir nodded. “Let me call Ladybug.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya stepped forward. “Not so fast, cat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat twisted his baton protectively. “I won’t hesitate, Alya. I know you’re akumatized. Marinette’s safety is my first priority right now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya grinned. “Oh, I’m not scared of you. You’ll be the perfect opening act for my show.” She twirled her staff, a gift from Hawkmoth, in front of her before directing it at Chat. Before Marinette could utter a warning, a beam of light shot out and clocked Chat square in the chest. “Now tell me, kitty: what’s your biggest secret?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat groaned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette panicked again. She knew that his identity was at risk right now and she hadn’t even considered that to happen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, shit, shit- what am I gonna do?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Chat. You can tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His hands clenched and unclenched. Whether he wanted to or not, his mouth betrayed him and mumbled, “Adrien Agreste-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait!” Marinette shrieked. “It’s my secret you want. Uh, his isn’t that important anyway.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya turned to her, shutting off her baton’s beam. “Fine. But he has to bring me Adrien in two minutes or else I’m throwing you out the window.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine,” Chat croaked out. “I’ll have him here in under a minute. Don’t hurt Marinette while I’m gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, he shuffled over to the window and jumped out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Marinette still didn’t have a plan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Adrien came knocking on the window seconds later, Alya frowned. “How did you get here so fast? And how are you standing there? We’re three stories up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien shrugged. “Chat Noir dropped me off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya grinned. “Well, never mind that. Welcome! I have some news for you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He came inside and made eye contact with Marinette. “Marinette! Are you ok?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The girl weakly nodded. “Just hungry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll get us out of this.” Adrien faced Alya. “What do you want? Ladybug is on her way right now so I’d surrender.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette paled. Ladybug was most certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>on her way. She was already there. And she wouldn’t be helping rescue them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya laughed as if she already knew this. “She’ll be just in time for our little show then.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This is when Marinette started to really freak out. “Hey, hold on. Wait- don’t do this, please-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien inched closer to her and said, “Hey, it’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya just grinned. “Enough stalling. Marinette, I’m sure Adrien would love to hear what you have to say.” The girl pointed her staff at Marinette. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette’s brain went into overdrive. She blurted “I’m in love with-” before Alya’s spell forced her to say, “I’m Ladybug.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other two people in the room stared at her in shock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya blurted, “You're Ladybug?” as Adrien shrieked, “You're in love with Ladybug?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In unison, the pair glanced at each other in confusion and said, “Wait, what-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Which one is it?” Alya questioned as Hawkmoth’s mask covered her face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trying to deflect the situation, Marinette rambled, “Hey, Chat’s biggest secret had to do with Adrien, so I feel like his is more shocking-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hawkmoth must’ve said something Alya didn’t like because she frowned and muttered, “What, do you have a better secret than that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette stared at Alya, eyes wide. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya’s eyes lit up and Marinette knew she was in reporter-mode. “So, what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your secret, Hawkmoth? Do tell.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien glanced between them, clearly in shock.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Alya whistled and stared at Adrien. “Man, you have issues. You would threaten your own son’s life to-” Suddenly, the akuma flew out of Alya’s staff and she collapsed to the ground. Adrien rushed over to help her up and she rubbed her head in pain. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien glanced over at Marinette. “That was too much to unpack.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, Marinette,” Alya grunted. “Why’re you tied up? Did we get kidnapped?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bluenette in question was thinking too hard to form a response. “Oh my god-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Adrien asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth,” she blurted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They all sat there, staring at her intently. Alya started to chuckle. “Seriously, guys. What kind of twisted joke is this? How did we get here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette, taking a deep breath, told Alya how they got there. She skipped over the part with her secret being outed (hoping no one remembered that) and jumped to Alya’s last words. “-and you said ‘you would threaten your son’s life’ while staring into Adrien’s eyes. Gabriel has to be Hawkmoth.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no way…” Adrien mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya’s eyes were saucers. “That’s messed up. What should we do? Tell Chat Noir and Ladybug?” The other two shrugged. “Speaking of Chat Noir, why was he here? And why didn’t he do anything?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien started talking before Marinette could say an excuse. “I was concerned about Marinette so I sent him to check on her. Then you started getting mad because you wanted me instead, saying Marinette had something to tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>While Alya frantically put two and two together, Marinette tried to cover up the truth. “Wait, it’s not what you think-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So I revealed her secret,” Alya said, smug. “Finally.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well-” Adrien scratched the back of his neck- “Not really. I didn’t understand what she said. Something like ‘I’m in love with’ and then something mentioning Ladybug.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Alya shouted. “Come on, I get akumatized so she can finally admit her feelings and even that doesn’t work-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway!” Marinette interrupted. “We should be getting home. Haha, yeah, it’s getting late. Time to go!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly a loud cacophony of feedback sounded from outside. The trio covered their ears and looked towards the window. A large billboard held the video of Hawkmoth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>mad.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh oh,” Marinette whispered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Hawkmoth said, sending shivers down her spine. “You have something I want. If you don’t bring it to me in 24 hours, I’ll tell everyone what you don’t want them to know. You know where to find me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After the screen cut to black, Alya turned back to the pair of teens. “Geez. That man is crazy. What does he want from Mari?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The girl slumped against the wall and groaned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Marinette?” Adrien reached out to her arm. “What’s wrong? What does he want?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t tell you,” Marinette said through her fingers. “It’s a secret.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Does this have to do with your secret you said earlier?” Adrien rubbed her arm supportingly. “It’s ok, neither of us remember it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but Hawkmoth knows it,” she sniffed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya paced the floor. “Mari, I really don’t mean to pry…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...but you’re gonna do it anyway,” Marinette said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya shrugged. “You know how curious I am. And if you want me to stop, tell me to shut up. I’m just trying to protect you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alya-” Adrien warned, clearly not wanting to push the other girl.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you say it was, Adrien? She’s in love with… Ladybug?” Alya continued, staring out the window in thought.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien glanced at Marinette. “Yeah, something like that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The latter just shivered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That can’t be true,” Alya claimed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey-” Adrien frowned- “You don’t know that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Alya laughed, “I do. She doesn’t have a crush on Ladybug because she has a crush on you-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, why don’t we just reveal all of my secrets while we’re at it?” Marinette yelled, sliding further down the wall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien either didn’t hear Alya or chose not to listen because he didn’t say anything for a while. “Marinette, you can have a crush on whoever you want. Just because you like girls doesn’t mean anything. Me and Alya-” he shot a glare at the girl- “will support you no matter what.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This just made Marinette sob harder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So why would she say that? I know it isn’t true.” Alya continued, ignoring them. “It’s almost as if-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette suddenly stopped crying, holding her breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“-she was trying to cover up her secret.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone was silent for a minute. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And if you were trying to admit your crush on Adrien to cover your more pressing secret, which involves Ladybug…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t torture me any longer,” Marinette said gloomily. Slowly, she got to her feet. Her bloodstained, tearstained face was a mess yet she looked determined. “Yeah, I’m Ladybug. Congrats. You’re the first person to figure it out. Do you want a medal, or what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya stared at her in shock while Adrien guffawed. The two girls turned to him in confusion. After meeting their eyes, Adrien sobered. “This is some elaborate joke, right? You’re just messing around with me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think she is…” Alya concluded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s it. It’s just a prank.” Adrien grinned. “You guys faked the akuma, and faked everything else. There’s no way this is real.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How can I prove it to you?” Marinette asked. Her eyes were tired.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Transform.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s too easy,” Marinette mumbled. “Tikki, spots on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They sat there staring at her for a few seconds. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing happened. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette looked down at her hands. “Huh?” Then she patted her purse. “Tikki?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Clever,” Adrien said sarcastically. “You know Ladybug’s kwami’s name.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s because she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> kwami!” She continued searching through her purse. “Where is she?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you lying, Marinette?” Alya asked, beginning to get skeptical.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” She pointed to her earrings. “Look! Why don’t you ever see me take these off? It’s because they're my miraculous. I literally can’t take them off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A man dressed in a firefighter uniform burst into the room. “Hey! Are you kids alright? There was an akuma.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Alya said. “I got akumatized but Chat Noir saved us and everyone is fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, good.” The firefighter glanced at them. “I’ll take you kids back to your houses now. The police are downstairs, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, sir,” Adrien said, flashing his smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, are you Adrien Agreste?” The firefighter gasped. “My daughter’s a huge fan…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll discuss this later,” Alya whispered to Marinette.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After stopping briefly at home to reassure her parents of her safety, Marinette ran to Master Fu’s. Without bothering to knock, she burst through his front door. “Master Fu-” she shouted before realizing he was sitting on his couch staring at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been expecting you,” the man said, sipping his tea.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette burst into tears for the second time that day. “I screwed up. I messed up so bad. God, I’m an idiot-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it? What did you do?” Master Fu asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“More like, what didn’t I do,” Marinette darkly chuckled. “I lost Tikki, and half of Paris knows I’m Ladybug-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure that isn’t true.” Master Fu gestured to the side table by his couch where Marinette found Tikki and Wayzz munching on some snacks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tikki!” Marinette yelped. “What- How did you get here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tikki flew over to the girl and landed on her hand. “Oh, Marinette. I was so scared that they would reveal your secret and that Hawkmoth would find out who you were that I ran to Master Fu’s. I’m so sorry. It was extremely irrational of me. I shouldn’t have left you all alone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Tikki,” Marinette said with a small smile. “I’m just glad you’re ok.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, what else were you worried about?” Fu asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, not half of Paris, but…” She smacked her forehead. “A few people may have found out about my identity.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Wayzz gasped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fu stroked his chin. “Who?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My best friend, Alya,” Marinette cautiously started. “Uhm… Adrien Agreste, my other friend… and… Hawkmoth.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fu spat out his tea. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She grimaced. “I know, I’m sorry-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Adrien Agreste knows your identity?” Fu asked. After Marinette’s nod, he exchanged a glance with Wayzz and Tikki. “That’s interesting…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He doesn’t believe that it’s me though. He was extremely defensive about it all.” Marinette paused. “You’re not at all concerned about Hawkmoth?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, of course I am,” Fu said. “But I already knew about that. He was broadcast on every TV across Paris. Everyone knows he wants you, but I doubt they knew why.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, there’s one more thing, too…” Marinette said. “I found out who Hawkmoth is. He’s Gabriel Agreste.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At this, Fu showed a bit of surprise. “Really? Did Adrien find this out too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette frowned. “Why do you care so much about Adrien, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Never mind that,” Fu said. “I’ll consult the other kwamis about what to do in this situation. I will let you know when we have a plan to take his miraculous.” He started to usher her out the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait!” Marinette shouted. “Do I give him my miraculous? He said I only have a day to decide. Do I fight him? What do I do?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fu smiled with a glint in his eye. “Nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To say that Marinette was nervous at school the next day was an understatement. As soon as she set foot on school grounds, Alya pushed her into the girls’ locker room where Adrien was sheepishly hiding. “Spill the beans.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Marinette said, playing dumb.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t answer my texts or calls all night.” Alya’s face showed determination and a bit of concern. “You owe Adrien and I the truth, at the very least.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, I don’t have time for this-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien piped in, “Class starts in eleven minutes. You kinda </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> have time for this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette tried to shrug out of Alya’s grasp unsuccessfully. “Guys-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A loud alarm sounded from Alya’s phone, startling all of them. “Akuma alert,” the auburn-haired girl said. She and Adrien glanced at Marinette, curious to how she would react. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before anyone could say anything else, Marinette darted out of the locker room and streaked down the hall. Alya yelled after her. She sprinted up the stairs before stopping in a random classroom to catch her breath. While fumbling with the door handle to get the door shut, she muttered, “Tikki, spots on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was halfway across the classroom while transforming when Alya burst into the room. Marinette glanced back at her while leaping out the window, raising a finger to her lips. Alya just stood in shock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette was about to leap out of the window before she turned to her friend. “Actually, I need your help.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya tried mouthing words but nothing came out. She pointed at herself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other girl nodded. “Yeah, you.” She pulled a miraculous box out. “Rena Rouge, are you willing to help me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh-” Alya stammered. “Yes, uh, of course.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette smiled. “Good.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien, after gathering enough dignity to dash out of the girls’ locker room, ran up the stairs after Alya. However, he couldn’t see which direction she or Marinette had gone in. After looking for them for a moment, he decided that they had disappeared. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” he whispered to himself. “That gives me an opportunity to transform.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He disappeared into a random classroom, oblivious to the flash of orange from outside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The defeat of the akuma was frankly uneventful. Mr. Pigeon (for the forty-third time) was more annoying than harmful at that point. Chat Noir showed up shortly after his partner and said some awful puns. Ladybug faked needing backup and called for her friend, a new superhero using the dragon miraculous, to help out. Between the three of them, they defeated the akuma easily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was the aftermath that Marinette was preparing for. It had to go perfectly or else no one would be convinced. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The three superheroes stood on a rooftop after defeating the akuma when Ladybug said to them, “Good job, guys. You made that a piece of cake.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The dragon-themed hero smiled. “I can’t believe I got to work alongside you two… wow. This is a dream come true.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat smirked. “I must know, how hard is it being in my presence all the time? I think I’m too hot to be around.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I almost thought you were gonna say you were the cat’s meow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that too.” Chat concluded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well-” The girl looked away- “If you know what I mean, I’m more of a fan of ladybugs. Cats aren’t really my thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Ladybug said, scratching the back of her neck. “That’s kind of you-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I should probably head home. Longg, open sky.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No-” Ladybug and Chat sputtered before Marinette stood in front of them, detransformed, with the dragon kwami floating by her side. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Marinette asked innocently. “Was I not supposed to detransform?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank god,” Chat said with a laugh. “I knew it wasn’t you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Both girls eyed him in confusion before Ladybug glanced over at Marinette. “No, you weren’t supposed to detransform.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry-” Marinette started. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s ok.” Ladybug smiled sadly. “It just means we can’t have you be the dragon miraculous holder again. You revealed your identity.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Marinette’s eyes bubbled with tears. “Please let me back on your team. I love working with you. I love you, Ladybug-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And that’s my cue to leave.” Chat cut in, noticing the tension between the two girls. “I think I have to get home, and I’ll leave you two alone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, bye kitty,” Ladybug said, bright red.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On his way home, Chat fought back feelings of both relief from Marinette not being Ladybug and disappointment that obviously Marinette had more chemistry with Ladybug than he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No one noticed when ‘Marinette’ ducked into the shadows and vanished.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hawkmoth sat in his lair in a stunned silence. He called Nathalie in disbelief. “Did you see that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” his assistant answered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ladybug?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That seems to be the truth, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head. “How does that make sense? She said-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She said she was in love with Ladybug,” Nathalie replied. “I know you preferred to believe that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ladybug, but it appears that she is just in love with her.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How could that be?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not too difficult to understand that girls sometimes like girls, Gabriel,” Nathalie sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Ladybug touched down in the same abandoned alleyway as before, she pulled out her yo-yo to text Rena Rouge. “She should be meeting me here any minute to debrief. And I know she’ll have so many questions…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She began bracing herself for the inevitable while she muttered her detransformation words. She was halfway through detransforming when a black-clothed figure darted into the same alley. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Marinette recognized his voice immediately. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ladybug?” Chat Noir turned around for a second, fumbling with his baton and dropping it once. “Oh hey, I was gonna ask, why did you give Marinette a miraculous today? You and I could’ve handled Mr. Pigeon by ourselves. Are you really in love with-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Facing her, Chat blanched. Marinette murmured, “Shit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like a deer in the headlights, Chat finally noticed who he was talking to. “What the fu-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god-” She scrambled to find an excuse. “This isn’t what it looks like-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He just stared at her. “You were telling the truth?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are Marinette.” Chat said, pointing a shaky finger at her. “Jesus-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She mentally connected two points. “...Adrien?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at her again, saying nothing. She couldn’t tell what was running through his mind. Finally, he concluded, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>Marinette.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trying not to hyperventilate, Marinette huffed and crossed her arms. “You stupid cat. Yeah, I am.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So you’re not in love with Ladybug?” Adrien said shakily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette looked shocked. “What? No, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ladybug-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At that moment, Alya ran into the same alley. “Marinette, there you are. I thought I heard you-” She noticed Chat standing across from Marinette and looked at him in confusion. “Chat Noir? Why are you here-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette shook her head. “It’s no use, Al. He already knows.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. You better not tell anyone. Or hurt my best friend.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alya, it’s Adrien. He won’t tell anyone.” Marinette scoffed. “That dumbass still didn’t believe it was me when I detransformed right in front of him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What-” Alya shook her head. “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adrien</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That means you both fell in love with each other, but not </span>
  <em>
    <span>each other</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You two are idiots-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah...” Marinette blew a stray hair out of her face, trying not to scream. “We have to get back to school soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya called after her, “You know, at least we can cover each other when we have to leave now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette turned around, the disbelief first hitting her. “I can’t believe it was you this whole time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ditto,” Adrien said. He looked somewhat wistful.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Reaching over to flick his nose, Marinette said, “So I guess it makes sense how Chat Noir’s secret had to do with Adrien Agreste.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged sheepishly. “Guilty as charged.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stepped away from him, a slight smirk splayed on her face. “I don’t believe you. Detransform.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, come on-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He muttered “claws in” and left a nervous-looking Adrien behind. Marinette didn’t know how to react. “So, a little birdy told me you had a crush on me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Marinette blushed. “I just... can’t believe this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lovebirds,” Alya exclaimed while grinning playfully. “C’mon, you have time to make out later. Let’s get back to class before anyone gets worried.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alya!” Marinette squeaked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When the trio made it back to class, everyone noticed that something between them had changed. Nino tried asking Alya what was going on, but the girl just smiled. They made it through their morning classes and lunch uneventfully. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Almost as soon as they sat down in their seats in Ms. Bustier’s class, Alya’s phone sounded with another akuma alert.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien and Marinette sprang out of their chairs in sync almost immediately. Glancing awkwardly at each other, Marinette started sputtering some excuse about the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya loudly said, “What, are you guys going to make out in the janitor’s closet?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien’s face became redder than a tomato. “What-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what if we are?” Marinette replied, surprising the class. She then dragged Adrien out of the classroom without another word. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ms. Bustier was too surprised to do anything about it. After a second, some of the class began cheering and the red-headed teacher just smiled for a minute. “Alright, class-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took five minutes for them to calm down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>And another five minutes for Adrien and Marinette to run back into the room, red-faced and out of breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette finally spoke after catching her breath. “Um, we need you, Alya. This akuma is too-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You need my help?” Alya asked eagerly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, we need you, too.” Marinette eyed the confused glances on her classmates’ faces. “I mean, uhm-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien blushed and avoided everyone’s eyes. “We need you to come make out with us. Now. Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alya slapped her hand across her mouth. “You guys are-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette dragged her out of the classroom in record speed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The class sat in shocked silence. Ivan and Kim exchanged money in the back while Chloe snorted. “Called it,” she said with a smirk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nino took his glasses off and wiped them on his pants. “That’s my girlfriend. What the fuck-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rose slid over next to Nino. “Look, there’s something you need to know about them…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nino spent the next hour in tears. The class offered him endless support and Ms. Bustier even donated her entire box of tissues to the matter. Nino didn’t say anything for a while, just sitting in shock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, nearing the end of class, he sat upright in his chair. “Hold up…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the class sat on standby, ready to comfort the boy some more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They didn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>invite</span>
  </em>
  <span> me?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>wowza you made it this far!</p>
<p>consider leaving kudos or dropping a nice, constructive comment! I appreciate any feedback &lt;3</p>
<p>and if you celebrate anything, happy holidays! I hope that you stay happy, healthy, and safe :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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